Food-preserving container



D. J.O

May 1.4, 1929. y

Filed Dec. 16. 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet l NN .NN MN .um NW Patented May 14,1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT vorrlclz.

DAVID J'. OBRIEN, 0F MANHATTAN BEACH, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T0 THERMOPAK'.COMPANY, .INC., F NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF -NEW YORK.

FOOD-PRESERVING CONTAINER.

Application led December 16, 192'5. Serial No. 75,814.

This invention .relates to improvements in l the art of preserving foodproducts, and more particularly to containers of the type adapted forheat insulation. 1

Among the objects in view is the inexpensive and effective preservationof food products, such as ice-cream, Water'ices, and the like, byretention thereof in a chilled condition for relatively prolongedperiods with the use of but a minimum amount of heat absorbing media orwith no chilling agent whatever.

A further object is the maintenance of the lower temperatures for thoseportions of the chilled food products first to be served in instanceswhere no chilling medium is employed.

With these and further objects in view as will in part hereinafterbecome apparent and in part be stated, the invention comprises certainnovel constructions, combinations and arrangements of parts assubsequently speciiied and claimed. e

In the accompanying drawings;-

Figure 1 is a longitudinal, vertical central section through a packageembodying the features of the present invention, the parts being seen inclosed condition in full lines and in a partly open position in dottedlines.

Figure 2 is a top plan of the parts seen in Figure 1 with the outercovering shown in the position seen in dotted lines in Fi re 1.

Figure 3 is a greatly enlarged, detai frag-, mentary section through apart of the wall of the shipping container forming the closed bottomthereo intermediate portions being broken away for the saving of Space.

Figurea'41s a view similar to Figure 2 with the top in the ope-nposition outstanding horizontally, a position assumed during the courseof being .fully opened. i

Figure 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary section through the upper portionof the container taken on substantially the same scale as Figure 3, theparts-being seen in exaggerated size, and intermediate parts beingbroken away for the saving of space. v

Referring to the drawings by numerals, 1 indicates a can, such asordinarily employed for containing ice-cream and the like, which can isprovided with the usual removable cover 2 having the operating `handle 3'outstanding from the cover preferably in the form of a loop. The can 1is placed in an inverted condition within the shipping contamer 4. Thewalls of the shipping container are given the contour for snuglyreceiving the can 1, and are preferably formed of heatlnsulatingmaterial, such as that illustrated in the U. S. Letters Patent to LinzyHicks, No.

1,334,302, dated March 23rd, 1920. The' shipping container 4 may haveits body and bottom formed integral or the container may be in the formof a cylinder having its closed end 5 formed separately and secured inplace by adhesive after the manner shown in the said Hicks patent. Theseparate formation gf 6ghe closed end 5 is indicated by the lines Theopposite end of the container 4 or top is preferably close'd by a cap orclosure` 7, similar in general construction and arrangement to thebottom closure 5, but differing in detail and constructed to beremovably located in position for closing the upper or outer end of theshipping container 4. The fibrous corrugated material (preferably paper)making u the main portion of the walls of the contamer 4 may be, whenliable to hard usage, completely surrounded by a covering 8, which ispreferably of fabric, such as waterproof canvas or leather or the like,but may be of wood or metal or other waterproof material. This covering8 is usually employed for receptacles of the character being described,which are to be utilized for distance shipment, or otherwise, such as inthe wholesale handling of icecream, and while susceptible of use forcontainers of small capacity, such as employed by individual consumers,need not be so employed, especially on the inexpensive containersdesignedparticularly for one-time use. When covering 8 is employed, theclosure or cap 7 is overlaid by a sheet 9 of preferably the same orsimilar material to covering v8. At one place along theedge of thematerial 9, the material is stitched lto covering 8 or yotherwise hingedthereto', as indicated at 17,

for forming a flexible connection for the cap or closure 7 to thecontainer 4, so that the cap -may be opened after the manner indicatedin dotted lines in Figure 1, `and thrown back out of the way withoutbeing liable to be lost.

`In order to securethe cap or closure 7 firmly in place againstaccidental dislocation:

while closed, a strap 13 is preferably fixed to the upper portion of thecap and adapted to engage an appropriate buckle' 14 carried by a strap15 fixed to the side portion of the shipping container.

Resting on the upper face of cap 7 when closed, is a bail-like, open,clamping spring wire 18 pivoted to the cap at the point dia- Amctricallyopposite hinge 17, as will be hereinafter described. The free ends ofwire 18 are free to spring apart to allow them to pass the cylindricalsides of container 4 when the cap 7 is hinged downward in its fullyopened position. Wire 18 must, of course, be directed manually intoplace, and while embracing container 4 will effectively retain cap 7against apping about and becoming injured. The clamping wire 18 may bepivoted to cap 7 in any appropriate and desirable manner. That shownconsists merely in passing the wire beneath a portion of strap 13between lines of stitching connecting the strap to the cap 7. Also, asshown, it is preferable to slit or slot the engaged portion of the strap13, and to extend therethrough a projection (such as a return fold ofthe wire) from clamp 18, as at 18, so as to prevent longitudinaldislocation of the clamp. 1

When the cojvering 8 isutilized, the corru-- gated paper, or otherinsulating bottom 5, is backed or reenforced by a supplemental, rigidbottom plate 20, preferably of wood, and the covering 8 is extendeddownward past the circular edge of plate 20 and folded back up andcaused to overlie a portion of the inner or upper face of plate 20 towhich the overlying material of the covering 8 is tacked or otherwisefastened. The circular edge of the plate 20 is thus enclosed in a returnfold 21 of the covering 8. i

The entire shipping'container, includin" the covering 8 and bottom plate20, is pre erably disposed in a wrapper 10 of sufficient length and sizeto allow its upper or open end portion to be brought together andclosed, as indicated at 11,by an appropriate draw-string 12, or otherdesirable` securing means. 'To afford access to the closure or cap 7,the upper end portion of the wrapper 1() is preferably opened byreleasing the draw-string 12, and folded back down to the positionindicated in dotted lines in Figure 1. While Vwrapper 10 has been shownin the drawings as not contacting with the side walls of the container,in order to show a degree of looseness enabling ready movement of theupper portion of wrapper 10 to and from the dotted line position ofigure 1, it is to be understood that wrapper 10 suiliciently snugly litsthe covering 8 to have sullicient frictional contact therewith to remainin position on the container and not to fall olf under ordinary roughhandling while the shipping container is being stored or returned in theempty condition.

Since the shipping container is liable to be subjected to considerablerough handling during use, both While lilled'and while empty, thewrapper 1() is preferably of especially sturdy material, and the bottomof the wrapper 10 enclosing the plate 20 is protected by an externallylocated, preferably metallic band or ferrule 22 which is fixed to plate20 by nails or other appropriate fastening means 28 extending throughband 22, the material of wrapper 10, the return fold 2l, and into bottomplate 20. Band 22 is formed with a beaded, inwardly-extending, annularflange 24 extending beneath and engaging the under face of the bottom ofwrapper 10 and clamping the same against the under face of plate 20.

As shown in Figures 3 and 5, and as above stated, the walls of theshipping container are preferably of heat insulating material, such ascorrugated paper 16, arranged after the manner shown in the Hicks patentabove identied, and the bottom or closed end 5 is formed with a recess19 designed to receive the handle 3. The said recess may be formed of acontour to just snugly receive the handle, but ispreferablyparti-globular, as shown, for enabling the can 1 to beintroduced with the handle 3 in any angular position, and to be easilyand readily snugly received by the said recess 19.

The structure thus far described is especially well designed for usewithout the assistance of any refrigerant other than the reducedtemperature of the food products themselves, and is capable of use forlcomparatively short-time shipments ranging up to ten hours or perhapslonger under favorable conditions, that is low surrounding temperatures,and less under unfavorable conditions, that is conditions of highsurrounding temperatures. Where longer shipments, say for twenty-five orthirty hours, areto be lnade, it is preferable to utilize asupplementing refrigerant, for which purpose special rovision is made aswill hereinafter be descri ed in detail.

In carrying out the art as contemplated by the present invention, thecan 1, filled with its chilled food products, is introduced with theremovable closure thereof or cover 2 inward, and, when the can is fullyseated Within the shipping container 4, the cap or closure 7 is fasteneddown by the strap 13 and buckle 14, and the wrapper 10 is then rolled upfrom the dotted line position seen in Figure 1 to an upstandinoposition, and then has its open end closed by the drawing of thedraw-string 12. The package is then .ready for shipment or otherhandling.

When the package is delivered to the retailer, or other consumer, theupper end parts are released, the cap 7 hinged back out of the way, andclamp 18 positioned to hold the cap 7 in the open position, and then thepackage is inverted and the can 1 is allowed to slide out of theshipping container4 into the refrigerating apparatus usually provided'for receiving such cans. The cap 2 of the can 1 may now be removed andthe contents are ready for consumption. ,4

For purposes of long shipments or storage under conditions of highsurrounding temperatures, or other especially difficult conditionstending to increase the internal temperatuie of the container, it isdesirable to supplement the reduced teniperatureof the food productscontained by additional refrigerant. Under any condition, whether theadditionalrefrigerant is employed or not, it is preferable, before theinsertion of the can 1 filled with ice-cream or other food products, tochill the container 4 thoroughly, and under the especially tryingconditions just stated, it some times becomes desirable to continue thechilling action by the provision of heat-absorbing substance applied ina manner to absorb heat units within the container 4. To this end, Ipreferably especially construct the cover 7 with a recess or recessesadapted to receive such supplemental refrigerant, and I preferably usewhat has come to be known commercially as dry ice, that is, carbondioxide (CO2) in its solidified form. I t is unnecessary to advert tothe known conditions of protection and use of the so-called dry ice,except to call attention to the fact that the melting or gasificationoccurs very slowly, especially since the gas thrown ofi' by virtue ofsurrounding heat absorbs the heat units so rapidly as to chill the gasnearer the solid block and reduce it to solid form. Thus the escape ofgas is very slow, comparatively speaking, and the chilling action isrelatively great and especially effective in shipping containers of thecharacter described. owever, since the container is otherwise sealed asan aid to heat insulation, and since the .gas thrown off by the dry icemust escape without allowing access of exterior temperatures to theinterior of the container, special provision is made. To this end, thecover is formed with pockets or recesses 25 extending upwardly withinthe body of the cover 7 and opening through the under face thereof whenthe cover is closed. It should be understood, of course, that a singlepocket 25 may be utilized and its size varied according to therequirements of the shipment, and the s ize ofthe cake of dry ice to beutilized, which must be determined by taking into consideration a numberof factors, such as the conditions of the shipment, the extent ofexposure to heat, the climatic conditions under which the shipment isundertaken, and such other elements as control the likelihood of risingtemperatures within the container 4. I have for purposes ofillustration, shown one of the larger containers, that is a containerfor say five gallons of ice-cream. In such containers, I preferablyutilizefour of the pockets 25. Obviously, similar pockets may beutilized of relatively reduced dimensions in the proportionately reducedsizes of containers, but I find that effective results are obtained 1nthe smaller sizes by a less number of pockets, even to the use of asingle pocket,

ice to gradually penetrate the material of the cap by passing throughthe interstices of the' fibers or cells making up the material of thecap 7. In Figures 3 and 5, the showing has been exaggerated even to amagnification of the material commonly utilized, and the adhesiveemployed for securing the covering 8 to the outer sheet of materialforming the container 4 is shown at 27. This is, of course, anexaggeration even` though the parts are magnified, since, in fact, thelayer of adhesive 27 is j ust as thin as is possible to be employedwhile effectively causing the covering 8 to adhere to the container 4,and inactual pra tice a large portion of the adhesive penetrates thematerial of the container 4 and the material of covering 8, so that theshowing in Figure l is more nearly in exact accord with actualstructure, but the showing in Figure 5 is given in the exaggerated formfor the purpose of displaying the presence of the adhesive 27, and forthe fui-ther purpose of indicating the termination thereof. It will beseen that the coating of adhesive 27 not only extends about thecontainer 4, but about the outer parts of the upper surface of the capor cover 7. The middle or intermediate portion of said cap or cover is,however, left without acoating of adhesive 27, so that the sheet 9 isshown with a space 28 between it and the top sheet of cap or cover 7 forthose portions not provided with the adhesive 27. 0f course, the space28 is exaggerated, since, under ordinary conditions, the covering 9would rest against the topmost sheet of the material of cap 7, but thespacing 28 clearly shows the absence of the-adhesive 27 which lisdesirable to allow gases rising from the pockets 2-5 to escape. Sincethe coating of adhesive 27 tends to' seal and render the walls of thecontainer impervious, the space 28 assures the ready escape of the gasto a point in contact with the under face of the cover sheet 9. If thatcover sheet be of canvas, or other woven fabric, no special provisionneed be made for the further escape of the gas, but if the sheet 9 be ofleather, rubber, or other impervious material, openings 29, 29, arepreferably provided, so that the rising gases may escape through vthecover sheet 9 and will then either escape through the interstices of thewrapper or out through the openings unavoidably present incident to thepuckered portion 11.

A tube 30 preferably extends through the cap 7 at the center thereof,and is flanged at its ends, as at 31 and 32, to produce the effect ofriveting so as to hold the parts in place. Swiveled to the lower endportion of the tube 30 and supported by the flange 32 is a disc 33,preferably of substantially the same or slightless diameter than that ofthe inner end of t e cap 7, and held snugly against such inner end bythe flange 32. The disc 33 is formed with apertures 34, 34, each of thesame diameter as one of the pockets 25, and the several apertures 34 arespaced apart and located radially to correspond to the spacing andlocation of the several pockets 25, so that, when the disc 33 is rotatedon its pivotal axis formed of the tube 30, the apertures 34 may bebrought into register with the pockets 25, so that-cakes of dry ice, orother acceptable and suitable refrigerant, may be inserted into thepockets 25, and the disc 33 may then be shifted angularly, that isturned on its pivot, sufficiently to bring it to the position indiTcated in Figure 4, .whereupon a substantial web or portion of the disc33 extends across the open end of each of the pockets 25 and rovides asupport for the refrigerant with- 1n the respective pocket. Theintroduction of the refrigerant is preferably done when the parts are inthe position seen in Figure 4 in which thel cap 7 is held manually orotherwise by outside agencies in the outstanding, inverted position.

The tube 30 is provided near its lower end with a valve seat 35 on whichnormally rests a check valve 36 retained in position on the seat by anappropriate spring 37 surrounding a plunger 38 which carries the valve36 and extends into a cap-like guide 39 supported by an appropriatespider 40 fixed ytoV the surrounding walls of tube`30. The tube 30 isfilled with cork, mineral wool, or other appropriate heat insulatingmaterial, as indi- ,cated at 41, from the spider 40 and cap 39 upwardlyto the upper or outer end, and at the outer end is provided with areticulated or other strainer plate 42 for retaining the insulation 41in place.

The tube 30, valve 36 and coo erating parts are utilized more especiallyor emergency purposes. It is, of course, well understood that carbonicacid gas is heavier than air and will, therefore, under ordinaryconditions, descend if opportunity is afforded. However, since the can 1snugly fits within' the container 4, only a comparativel. small amountof the gas can find its way a out the interiorwalls of the container 4.Of course, the space 19 will be filled, and a certain amount of gas willremain about the can '1,

but since the interior walls of container 4l are preferably sized orotherwise rendered' substantially impervious only a comparatively smallamount of the gas will escape through such walls. Hence, a certainamount of gas pressure will be set up bythe continued discharge of gasincident to the slow disintegration of the cakes of dry ice. When thepressure of the gas has raised sufficiently, the gas will gradually workits way through the material of cap 4 above the several pockets 25 andout through the openings 29. This will ordinarily be ample for theescape ofgas under all normal conditions. It is possible, however, thatunder some special circumstances a receptacle may be placed in anunusually hot position, so that disintegration of the dr ice may occurmore rapidly than under or inary conditions. When the gas thrown oli bythe cakes of dry ice under such extraordinary conditions reaches apressure which might otherwise tend 4to blow the cap 7 out of place, adangerous condition might follow, but before any such dangerously highpressure is attained, the valve 36 will open under the stress of suchpressure and allow the excess gas to escape up through the tube 30, itbeing understood, of course, that the insulating material 41 is packedin the tube sufficiently loosely to facilitate the easy esplape of gas,while preventing entrance of eat.

This application presents subject matter involving improvements on thesubject matter disclosed and claimed in myco-pending application filedNovember/18, 1925, and designated by Serial No. 69,908. In this case theinverted position of the inner container and the features ofconstruction facilitating such arrangement as well as the processinvolved therein are not covered by claims in this application exceptwhen limited to the presence of the supplemental refrigerant recess orrecesses, as such subject matter independently of such recess orrecesses is claimed in my above-identified co-pending application.

What is claimed is:

1. A heat-insulating package for temperature-protected products consistsof a heat-insulating container of fibrous material having a recess inits fibrous wall for receiving and containing temperature-varying means.

2. A heat-insulating package for food products comprising aheat-insulating conimpregnated surface of the fibrous material,

and the fibrous material being elsewhere waterlproof. 4. food preservingreceptacle comprising an insulating container, and a cover therefor ofinsulating material having means within the insulating material of thecover for receiving temperature-varying means.

5. A food preserving container comprising an insulating receptacle, anda cover therefor having an inwardly opening pocket for receivingrefrigerant.

6. A food preserving container comprising an insulating receptacle, acover therefor having an inwardly opening ocket for receivingrefrigerant, and a movalble closure for the pocket.

-cover therefor having a pocket at its inner face opening into thereceptacle and adapted to contain refrigerant, and a closure for saidpocket.

9. A food preserving container comprising an insulating receptacledesigned to receive a food containing can in an inverted position, and acover for the receptacle having refrigerant-receiving means.

l0. A foodv preserving container comprising an insulating receptacle, aninsulating cover therefor having a recess opening into the receptacle,and a shiftable plate adapted to be moved to and from a position acrossthe recess.

1l. A food preserving container comprising a cylindrical insulatingreceptacle open at one end, an insulating cover for the receptaclehaving a recess opening into the receptacle and adapted to containrefrigerant, and a disc pivoted to the inner face of the cover to swingto and from a position across the recess.

. 12. A food preserving container comprising an insulating receptaclehavinga plurality of refrigerant receiving pockets in one of its walls,a disc pivoted to-said wall and adapted to extend'across the open endsof said pockets and formed with apertures corresponding to the pockets,said disc being adapted to be moved on its pivot to and from a positionwith the' apertures registering with said pockets.

13. A food preserving container comprising a receptacle having walls ofinsulating material and the insulating material being formed with apocket opening into the receptacle and sealed from the exterior of thereceptacle, said pocket being adapted to receive temperature-varyingmeans for the interior of the receptacle.

14. A food preserving container comprising an insulating receptacle, andan insulating cover therefor having a pocket closed "at its outer endand open-at its inner end to the outer portion of the area enclosed bythe receptacle.

In testimony whereof I atlix my signature.

DAVID J. OBRIEN.

